Several People In WWE Unhappy With Celebrity Appearance
Multiple people backstage were unimpressed by WWE’s latest celebrity spot on Raw.
In recent years, WWE has leaned harder into celebrity culture, arguably harder than at any point in its history. Or at the very least, since the wrestling boom of the 1980s, headed by Hulk Hogan.
But while many of these celebrity appearances have been enjoyed by fans and wrestlers alike, that hasn’t been the case for everyone.
The May 26 episode of Monday Night Raw featured one such appearance from comedian Tom Segura. His appearance was especially noteworthy, as in the past, he’s publicly laughed at the industry as a whole as well as fans.
As reported on Wrestle Votes Radio via SportsKeeda’s Backstage Pass Patreon, several people within WWE were “unhappy” with Segura’s presence on the show, given those earlier comments.
“We are told several in the company were unhappy with the appearance of comedian Tom Segura this past Monday at Raw. Years ago, Segura made several disparaging comments about the wrestling business, calling it fake, stupid people who watch it idiots, and that the fights are not real, among other things that were much worse, and we’re not going to say on the air.
While the few we talked to understood it was a Netflix call to have him on the show, and from all accounts, he was respectable while backstage, many within the company didn’t appreciate the fact that someone who was on record with these negative ideas and feelings towards pro wrestling could just walk right in and shake hands.”
WWE Scraps Plans For SmackDown
Meanwhile, Wrestle Votes also reported that plans for SmackDown to move back to two hours have been dropped. The show was switched from two hours to three when Monday Night Raw moved to Netflix from the USA Network, the current home of the blue brand after it left Fox.
It had been reported that the third hour would be scrapped heading into June, but the USA Network has pushed for those changes to be at least paused.
H/t to WrestlingNews.Co